[Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
“Even though I know it won’t be rewarded…” Once you fall in love, it’s not so easy to stop your feelings, is it?
You tell yourself you can’t go on like this, that you have to end it, but when you see them, you just can’t hold back your love.
In this article, we introduce love songs that portray the pain of unrequited love and lay bare those unspoken feelings.
Listen to them when you’re tired of loving.
They’ll gently wrap around you, saying, “It’s tough, I know.”
- Unrequited Love Song: A heartrending love song dedicated to you who are going through a painful romance
- [Songs of Infidelity] A collection of forbidden love songs about unattainable romance
- [Unattainable Love] A love song about two people who feel the same way but can’t be together
- Bittersweet love songs to listen to when the person you like already has a girlfriend or boyfriend
- Tear-jerking unrequited love songs that will break your heart: timeless classics about unattainable love
- Unattainable Love: A Heartbreaking Love Song About Falling for a Married Person
- “I Want to See You”: A love song that makes you cry when you listen to it while you can’t meet
- Songs that depict a teasing, suggestive attitude | Love songs to listen to when you're in unrequited love or a painful relationship
- [Today's Unrequited Love Song] Guaranteed to Make Your Heart Flutter! A Sweet and Bittersweet Love Song
- A heart-wrenching story that tightens the chest! A Showa-era unrequited love song
- [To Those in Love] Relatable Love Songs to Listen to When You’re Crushing Hard
- A classic song about a forbidden love
- A song of forbidden love. A love song about feelings that can't be stopped.
[Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Complete Showcase of Tear-Jerking Crush & Breakup Songs (211–220)
AyaMy Hair is Bad
A song that resonates with the feeling of “falling in love with someone you shouldn’t” is Aya.
It’s by the rock band My Hair is Bad, known for delivering passionate band sounds, and was included on their 2022 album angels.
The warm sound that unfolds at a slow tempo is striking.
The bittersweet lyrics evoke conversations and scenery between two people, making your heart swell.
It’s a heart-tugging love song that portrays an unrequited crush.
Please lend an ear to the vocals, filled with kindness and compassion for the one they love.
First loveTowa
This song was written and composed by the creator DIA, and sung by Towa, who uploads acoustic performance videos on YouTube.
It’s a track that really stands out thanks to Towa’s beautifully clear, translucent vocals! At the same time, the lyrics depict the bittersweetness of a faint first love that never came true, which makes it very moving.
Reading the lyrics, you can tell the protagonist had feelings for someone of the opposite sex who was originally a childhood friend.
They had always thought of that person as just a friend, but before they knew it, those feelings had turned into love.
In the end, the romance doesn’t work out, but the lyrics also convey a forward-looking attitude, so anyone going through an unrequited love will surely feel encouraged.
high skyUMEILO
This is the first single by UMEILO, a rock band from Hokkaido that unfortunately disbanded in 2020.
It sings about a down-to-earth unrequited love.
Since it’s set in Hokkaido, the image is a romance exchanged in a winter city.
They both seem to have feelings for each other—maybe it’s mutual unrequited love? They text back and forth, getting impatient as they try to confirm each other’s true feelings.
That hazy, restless feeling is portrayed very realistically.
Can’t Stop Fallin’ in Loveglobe
Released in 1997, this is a poignant ballad by globe—known for many hit songs—that sings of an unrequited love.
It portrays a love that can’t be stopped, no matter how hard one tries.
The song captures the heartache of a woman who has fallen for a man who already has a partner.
While she knows she must give up at some point, she doesn’t want to lose the one she loves.
It’s a classic that conveys the anguish of an unattainable love.
let gom-flo loves YOSHIKA
A collaboration between m-flo—who captivate listeners with their unique worldview and catchy rhythms—and YOSHIKA, known for her clear, translucent vocals.
It’s a love ballad that portrays the emotions of being tossed around by an unrequited romance.
A heart-wrenching number overflowing with bittersweet feelings.
Crazy for yousino R fine
Crazy for you, released under Ryoko Shinohara’s artist name sino R fine, was chosen as the theme song for the Netflix drama Fishbowl Wives, in which she stars.
The lyrics are heartbreakingly poignant—achingly so.
They earnestly describe continuing to think about a lover from whom she’s been separated, and her desperate wish to be together again.
Shinohara’s delicate, vanishingly fragile vocals make it even more tear-jerking.
If you’ve just gone through a breakup, you’ll probably relate to this a lot.
hydrangeakyanai
A heart-stirring song where delicate first love and fragility intertwine.
Kyanai’s track portrays the fleeting nature of romance through the language of hydrangea flowers.
Written from the perspective of the one who cheated, the lyrics justify themselves—“It’s your fault for being easy to get bored of”—while simultaneously sinking into self-loathing, capturing a complex emotional state.
Released digitally in May 2022, the song went viral on social media and became one of Kyanai’s signature works.
The more you listen, the more it comforts a wounded heart—perfect for those troubled by love or looking back on past relationships.